Apparatuses and methods for dram wordline control with reverse temperature coefficient delay

ABSTRACT

Apparatuses and methods for a temperature dependent delay between a wordline off signal and deactivating the wordline are disclosed. Memory devices may have reduced reliability when operating at relatively cold temperatures, which may be due in part to an increase in the write recovery time while the inning for a wordline to deactivate remains relatively unaffected. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a delay circuit is used to insert a temperature dependent delay between a wordline off command being issued and the wordline being deactivated. The delay circuit may increase the length of temperature dependent delay at relatively cold temperatures, and decrease the length of the delay at relatively warm temperatures.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a divisional of pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/133,598 filed Sep. 17, 2018. The aforementioned application isincorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, for any purpose.

BACKGROUND

High data reliability, high speed of memory access, and reliableoperation across a range of environmental conditions are all desirablein semiconductor memory devices. Memory devices, such as semi-conductormemory devices, may require precise timing for reliable operation.Signals may be transmitted between components of the memory device todirect operations such as pre-charge operations. The signals may haveset timing from, for example generation of the signal to performance ofan operation indicated by the signal. However, physical and/orenvironmental conditions of the memory device, e.g., the temperature ofthe memory device (and/or components of the memory device), may affectthe timing of the signals.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are prior art graphs 100 and 200, respectively, of thetiming of signals in a memory device in response to temperature. Thegraphs 100 and 200 represent examples of timing within a memory devicewhich may be affected by temperature. The x-axis of the graphsrepresents the temperature of the memory device and is expressed inunits of degrees Celsius (° C.). The y-axis of the graphs shows thetiming of the signal and is expressed in units of nanoseconds (ns). Eachgraph 100, 200 shows the temperature characteristics of three differentconfigurations of the memory device. The graphs 100 and 200 of FIGS. 1and 2, respectively, may represent the operation of modeled circuits,rather than measured properties of an actual memory device. While FIGS.1 and 2 show the particular operation of particular memory devices, itis to be understood that they are provided for illustrative purposes ofthe temperature response of prior art memory devices, and that othermemory devices may have, for example, different timing, or differentresponses to temperature.

FIG. 1 shows a graph 100 representing the timing response withtemperature of a write recovery time (tWR). The write recovery time tWRmay specify the amount of delay between completion of a valid writeoperation and precharge of an active bank of the memory device. The tWRmay be an indication of how long it takes data to be written to thememory device. As may be seen from the graph 100 between about 30° C.and 80° C., tWR is relatively stable with temperature. Below about 30°C., tWR increases dramatically as the temperature decreases.

FIG. 2 is a graph 200 representing the timing response with temperatureof a row precharge time all banks (tRPAB). The row pre charge commandtiming tRPAB may specify a delay between a row precharge command beingissued, and subsequent operations of the memory device. The tRPAB (ortRP if it is not measured for all banks) may be an indicator of how longit takes for all (or one) row of the memory device to be deactivated. Asmay be seen from the graph 200, below about 30° C., tRPAB is relativelyconstant with temperature. Above about 30° C., tRPAB increases withtemperature.

The different temperature responses of different timings may lead toreduced reliability of the memory device at relatively low temperatures.

BRIEF OF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 are prior art graphs of the timing of signals in a memorydevice in response to temperature.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor memory device inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a signal path in a semiconductor memorydevice in accordance with art embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a wordline driver circuit operated bytiming signals in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram of command signals in a semiconductor memorydevice in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an analogue delay circuit in accordancewith embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an analogue delay circuit in accordancewith embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are graphs depicting characteristics of the delay circuitof FIG. 7 in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a digital delay circuit in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart depicting a method of delaying command signalsin accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following description of certain embodiments is merely exemplary innature and is in no way intended to limit the invention or itsapplications or uses. In the following detailed description ofembodiments of the present systems and methods, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and which are shown byway of illustration specific embodiments in which the described systemsand methods may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practicepresently disclosed systems and methods, and it is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and that structural and logicalchanges may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure. Moreover, for the purpose of clarity, detailed descriptionsof certain features will not be discussed when they would be apparent tothose with skill in the art so as not to obscure the description ofembodiments of the disclosure. The following detailed description istherefore not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of thedisclosure is defined only by the appended claims.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained below indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The followingdetailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show, byway of illustration, specific aspects and embodiments in which thepresent invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice thepresent invention. Other embodiments may be utilized, and structure,logical and electrical changes may be made without departing from thescope of the present invention. The various embodiments disclosed hereinare not necessary mutually exclusive, as some disclosed embodiments canbe combined with one or more other disclosed embodiments to form newembodiments.

Semiconductor memory devices may be used to store information. A memorydevice may include a bank of memory cells which are coupled in an arrayby wordlines (rows) and bit lines (columns). A given wordline may beactivated in order to access data in a memory cell, which is read off ofthe corresponding bit line. After the data is read off a memory cell, itmay be written back to the memory cell, and then the row of memory maybe closed by deactivating the wordline. The memory device may need tooperate with strict timing requirements, so that, for example, data isnot accidentally overwritten or otherwise destroyed in the memorydevice. As an example, the timing of certain operations may need to bewithin a known range, such that, for example, the time between a commandbeing issued (e.g., a wordline off command) and the command beingexecuted (e.g., the wordline being turned off) is under a timingrequirement of the memory device. The timing requirements may ensurethat commands are executed in a proper sequence so that, for example,the wordline is not turned off while data is still being written to thememory cells along the wordline. The speed at which commands are issuedand carried out may be due, at least in part, to physical properties ofthe memory device, such as the time it takes a signal to propagate (apropagation delay) along conductive paths within the device.Accordingly, the timing may be affected by physical conditions whichinfluence the physical properties of the memory device, such astemperature. The temperature may affect the timing of different elementsat different rates, which may cause signals to operate out of a normalsequence under some temperature conditions. This may reduce thereliability of the memory device. Thus, it may be desirable to controlthe timing of signals with temperature to ensure that commands areexecuted in a proper sequence across a wide range of temperatureconditions.

As a specific example of a command signal with temperature dependence,the timing of a wordline deactivation in a memory device will bediscussed. After a write operation (either to write new data to a memorycell, or to write back data read from the memory cell) it may benecessary to deactivate the wordline and return the wordline to an idlestate before subsequent operations can occur. The write recovery time(tWR) is the delay between a write operation and a precharge operation,which deactivates the wordline. The tWR may be a setting of the memorydevice, and may ensure that the write operations have finished beforethe row is deactivated with the precharge command. The row prechargedelay (tRP) may be the length of time between a precharge command beingissued and a subsequent row activation of the memory device. The tRP mayalso be a setting of the memory device, and may ensure that all rows areactually pre-charged (e.g., deactivated, closed) in response to anissued pre-charge command.

As described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, tWR may increase astemperature decreases, while tRP may remain relatively constant as thetemperature decreases. Thus, under certain temperature conditions, tWRmay not have elapsed when the row is deactivated. This may reduce thereliability of the memory in cold conditions, as the command toprecharge the memory may be executed before the write-back operation canfinish.

Another potential problem for cold operation of semiconductor device iscaused by hot-carrier degradation of transistors within the memorydevice. Transistors may degrade over time to hot carrier injection,where an electron or hole jumps across a barrier (e.g., into the gate)of the transistor. Transistors that have experienced hot carrierinjection may undergo one or more changes to their operatingcharacteristics (e.g., threshold voltage) known as hot carrierdegradation. Certain types of hot carrier degradation may have moresevere effects as the temperature decreases.

Accordingly, it may be desirable to mitigate the temperature dependenteffects on semiconductor memory devices, especially at relatively coldtemperatures. A semiconductor memory device according to an embodimentof the present disclosure may be configured such that the time between apre-charge command being issued and the wordline being deactivatedincreases with decreasing temperature. This may ensure that tWR has achance to elapse before the wordline is deactivated (pre-charged). Insome embodiments a delay circuit may be added to a command path of asemiconductor memory device. The delay circuit may receive a commandsignal at a first time and then provide the command signal at a secondtime. The delay between the first time and the second time may beresponsive to a determined temperature. In particular, the delay circuitmay be configured such that the delay is inversely proportional to thetemperature (e.g., has a reverse temperature coefficient), andaccordingly the delay may increase based on a decrease in temperatureand the delay may decrease based on an increase in temperature.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a semiconductor device, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Thesemiconductor device 300 may include a clock input circuit 316, anaddress command input circuit 304, an internal clock generator 318, anaddress decoder 306, a command decoder 308. a plurality of row (e.g.,first access line) decoders 310, a plurality of column (e.g., secondaccess line) decoders 312, a delay circuit 326, a temperature sensor327, a memory cell array 314 including wordline driver circuits 328,sense amplifiers 329 and transfer gates 330, a plurality of read/writeamplifiers 320, an input/output (I/O) circuit 322, and a voltagegenerator circuit 324. The semiconductor device 300 may include aplurality of external terminals including address and command terminalsC/A coupled to command/address circuit 304, clock terminals CK and /CK,data terminals DQ, DQS, and DM, and power supply terminals VDD, VSS,VDDQ, and VSSQ.

While a specific configuration of memory device 300 is shown, it is tobe understood that variations may be made without departing from thescope of the disclosure. For example, the number and type of dataterminals, clock terminals, and/or power supply terminals may all bevaried. The terminals and signal lines associated with thecommand/address bus may include a first set of terminals and signallines that are configured to receive the command signals and a separate,second set of terminals and signal lines that configured to receive theaddress signals, in some examples. In other examples, the terminals andsignal lines associated with the command and address bus 106 may includecommon terminals and signal lines that are configured to receive bothcommand signal and address signals. The semiconductor device may bemounted on a substrate, for example, a memory module substrate, a motherboard or the like.

The semiconductor device 300 may be a semiconductor memory device, suchas dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), The semiconductor device 300 mayhave a memory cell array 314 which may have a plurality of memory cellsstoring data. The memory cell array 314 includes a plurality of banksBANK0-N, where N is a positive integer, such as 3, 7, 15, 31, etc. Eachbank BANK0-N may include a plurality of wordlines WL, plurality of bitlines BL, and a plurality of memory cells MC arranged at intersectionsof the plurality of wordlines WL and the plurality of bit lines BL. Theselection of the wordline WL for each bank BANK0-N is performed by acorresponding row decoder 310 and the selection of the bit line BL isperformed by a corresponding column decoder 312.

The address/command input circuit 304 may receive an address signal anda bank address signal from outside at the command/address terminals viathe command/address bus C/A and transmit the address signal and the bankaddress signal to the address decoder 306. The address decoder 306 maydecode the address signal received from the address command inputterminals C/A and provide the bank address signal BADD, the row addresssignal XADD and the column address signal YADD to the row decoder 310.

The address/command input circuit 304 may receive a command signal atthe command/address terminals via the command/address bus C/A. Thecommand signal may be external, such as, for example, from a memorycontroller. The address/command input circuit 304 may provide thecommand signal to the command decoder 308. The command decoder 308 maydecode the command signal and provide and/or generate various internalcommand signals. For example, the internal command signals may include arow command signal to select a wordline, a column command signal, suchas a read command or a write command, to select a bit line. The commanddecoder 308 may provide one or more of these command signals (here shownas a single command signal CMD for clarity) to the row decoder 310and/or column decoder 312.

The row decoder 310 and the column decoder 312 may receive command andaddress signals from the address decoder 306 and the command decoder 308respectively and provide signals to one or more specified elements ofthe memory cell array 314. The row decoder 310 may receive a row addressXADD and a bank address BADD from the address decoder 306, along withone or more command signals from the command decoder 308. In a similarmanner, the column decoder 312 may receive the column address YADD andthe bank address BADD from the address decoder 306 and one or morecommand signals from the command decoder 308. The row decoder 310 and/orcolumn decoder 312 may then send one or more signals to appropriatecomponents of the memory cell array 314 in order to carry out anoperation.

In an example precharge operation, the row decoder 310 may provide awordline off signal to a wordline WL specified by the row address XADDin a bank specified by the bank address BADD. In particular, the rowdecoder 310 may provide one or more signals to a wordline driver circuit328 coupled to the specified wordline WL. In response to the prechargecommand, the wordline driver circuit 328 may change the voltage alongthe wordline WL from a high voltage to a low voltage.

The memory device 300 may include a delay circuit 326 configured to adda temperature dependent delay to one or more signals. In someembodiments, the delay circuit 326 may add a temperature dependent delaybetween the precharge command being issued and the wordline drivercircuit 328 changing the voltage of the wordline WL. In someembodiments, the delay circuit 326 may delay certain commands providedto the wordline driver circuit 328 relative to other commands providedto the wordline driver circuit 328. While the delay circuit 326 is shownas a component of the row decoder 310, in some embodiments, the delaycircuit may be a separate component of the memory device 300 or may be apart of a different component, such as the command decoder 308 or memorycell array 314.

The delay circuit 326 may receive a signal at a first time, and provideit at a second time after the first time. The delay between the secondand first dine may be temperature dependent. In particular, the delaymay be increased at a relatively low temperature, and decreased at arelatively high temperature. In some embodiments, the delay circuit maybe coupled to an optional temperature sensor 327. Although thetemperature sensor is shown positioned at the memory bank 314, thetemperature sensor may be positioned at any location about the memorydevice 300. In some embodiments, the delay circuit 326 may be responsiveto a temperature of the delay circuit 326 and the temperature sensor maybe omitted from the memory device 300.

When a read command is issued and a row address and a column address aretimely supplied with the read command, read data is read from a memorycell in the memory cell array 314 designated by the row address and thecolumn address. The read/write amplifiers 320 may receive the read dataand provide the read data to the I/O circuit 322. The I/O circuit 322may provide the read data to a location outside the semiconductor device300 via the data terminals DQ. Similarly, when the write command isissued and a row address and a column address are timely supplied withthe write command, and then the input/output circuit 320 may receivewrite data at the data terminals DQ and provide the write data via theread/write amplifiers 320 to the memory cell array 314. Thus, the writedata in be written in the memory cell designated by the row address andthe column address.

Turning to the explanation of the external terminals included in thesemiconductor device 300, the dock terminals CK and /CK may receive anexternal dock signal and a complementary external clock signal,respectively. The external clock signals (including complementaryexternal clock signal) may be supplied to a dock input circuit 316. Theclock input circuit 316 may receive the external clock signals andgenerate an internal clock signal ICLK. The dock input circuit 316 mayprovide the internal clock signal ICLK to an internal clock generator318. The internal clock generator 318 may generate a phase controlledinternal dock signal LCLK based on the received internal clock signalICLK and a clock enable signal CKE from the address/command inputcircuit 304. Although not limited thereto, a DLL circuit may be used asthe internal clock generator 318. The internal clock generator 318 mayprovide the phase controlled internal clock signal LCLK to the I/Ocircuit 322.

The power supply terminals may receive power supply voltages such as Vddand Vss from a system that the memory device 300 is coupled to. Thesepower supply voltages may be supplied to a voltage generator circuit324. The voltage generator circuit 324 may generate various internalvoltages based on the power supply voltages and may provide the internalvoltages and/or the power supply voltages Vdd and Vss to othercomponents of the memory device 300. While a variety of differentvoltages may be used by different components of the memory device 300,for clarity Vdd will be used to represent a positive or ‘high’ voltagelevel, while Vss will be used to represent a ground or ‘low’ voltagelevel.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a signal path in a semiconductor memorydevice in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 4 showsa signal path 400, which may represent a signal path in a semiconductormemory device, such as the semiconductor memory device 300 of FIG. 3, insome examples. The signal path 400 shows the path that a prechargecommand takes in a device until it arrives at a memory cell array 414and is executed. The signal path 400 may include one or more componentsof the device that the signal has to pass through on its way to thememory cell array 414. The components may include control logic 432,delay circuit 426, control logic drivers 434, and the memory cell array414. The delay circuit 426 may be coupled to a temperature sensor 427.Although shown here as a separate component, in some embodiments, thetemperature sensor 427 may be integral with the delay circuit 426. Insome embodiments, the temperature sensor 427 may be omitted.

The signal path 400 may receive a command signal and provide it to thememory cell array 414. The command signal may be generated external tothe device (e.g., received at command/address bus C/A of FIG. 3) or maybe generated by an internal component of the memory device (e.g., bycommand decoder 308 of FIG. 3). In some embodiments the command signalmay be a precharge command which may indicate a precharge operation ofone or more wordlines in the memory cell array 414. The prechargecommand may be linked to one or more row addresses (not shown). Thecommand signal may be provided to the signal path 400 at a first timet0, and may be executed by the memory cell array at a second time t1.The delay circuit 426 may selectively vary the time between t0 and t1 inresponse to a temperature of the system.

The control logic 432 may represent one or more components of the memorydevice which receive the command signal. In some embodiments, thecontrol logic 432 may represent the address/command input circuit 304,address decoder 306, and/or command decoder 308 of FIG. 3. In someembodiments, the control logic 432 may also represent the row decoder310. The control logic 432 receives the command signal and provides itto the delay circuit 426. The control logic 432 may perform one or moreoperations on the command signal decoding it). The control logic 432 mayadd to the timing between t0 and t1 (e.g., with a propagation delayand/or the time it takes the control logic 432 to operate in response tothe command signal). The timing of the control logic may be, at least inpart, dependent on the temperature.

The delay circuit 426 may receive the command signal at a first time t2and provide the command signal at a second time t3. The times t2 and t3may be between the overall first and second times t0 and t1 of thesignal path 400. The delay circuit 426 may establish the delay betweent2 and t3 in response to a temperature of the semiconductor device. Thedelay may be inversely proportional to the temperature such that thedelay between t2 and t3 is longer in response to a relatively coldtemperature, and shorter in response to a relatively high temperature.

In some embodiments, the delay circuit may be responsive to a measuredtemperature signal. The temperature signal may be provided by anoptional temperature sensor 427. The temperature sensor 427 may bepositioned near one or more components of the memory device. As shown,the temperature sensor is positioned near the memory cell array 414. Insome embodiments, the temperature sensor may be integral with the delaycircuit 426. In embodiments where the delay circuit is responsive to atemperature signal, the delay circuit 426 may include a programmabledelay such as a digital programmable delay. An example delay circuitresponsive to a measured temperature signal is described in FIG. 10.

In some embodiments, the relationship between the length of the delayand the temperature may be an inherent relationship based on one or morephysical properties of the delay circuit. For example, the length of thedelay may be responsive to a temperature of one or more components ofthe delay circuit 426. In some embodiments, the delay circuit may be ananalogue circuit and the delay time of the delay circuit 426 may bebased on the physical properties of the components of the delay circuit426. An example analogue delay circuit is described in FIGS. 8-10. Insome embodiments when the delay circuit 426 is responsive to an inherentrelationship with the temperature, the temperature sensor 427 may not beneeded, and may be omitted from the circuit path 400 (and from thesemiconductor device 300 of FIG. 3).

Although the delay circuit 426 is shown inserted at a certain pointalong, the signal path 400, it is to be understood that the delaycircuit 426 may be inserted at any point along the path. In someembodiments, the delay circuit 426 may be integral to one of thecomponents. In some embodiments the delay circuit 426 may be a separatecircuit element.

The delay circuit 426 may provide the command signal to control logicdrivers 434. The control logic drivers 434 may represent one or morecomponents alter the delay circuit but before the memory cell array 414along the signal path 400. For example the control logic drivers 434 mayinclude the row decoder 310 of FIG. 3. The control logic drivers 434 mayreceive the command signal and may generate one or more specific signalsto execute the command signal. For example, as shown the command signalis a precharge signal, and the control logic drivers 434 provide a‘Wordline Off’ signal, a ‘SenseAmp Off’ signal, and an ‘Eq. On’ signalto the memory array 414. More or less signals may be generated in otherexamples. In some examples, the control logic drivers 434 may be part ofthe memory bank 414. Similar to the control logic 42, the control logicdrivers 434 may also have timing which may also be, at least in part,dependent on temperature.

One or more components of the memory array 414 may receive the signalsfrom the control logic drivers 434 and execute a command indicated bythe command signal. As an example, the memory array 414 may include awordline driver (e.g., wordline driver 328 of FIG. 3) which may beresponsive to the ‘Wordline Off’ signals generated in response to aprecharge command. Although only a single memory bank of the memoryarray 414 is shown, there may be multiple banks arranged together into amemory cell array (e.g., memory cell array 314 of FIG. 3).

The timing between the command signal being provided to the controllogic 432 at t0 and executed in the memory array 414 at t1 may thus bedependent on the timing of one or more components (e.g., the controllogic 432, control logic drivers 434, and memory array 414) as well asthe time between t2 and t3 added by the delay circuit 426. One or moreof the control logic 432, control logic drivers 434, and or memory cellarray 414 may operate with a timing that increases with increasingtemperature and decreases with decreasing temperature. The delay circuit426 may have a delay which is inversely proportional to temperature,which may, at least in part, compensate for a temperature dependence ofthe other components in the circuit path 400. In some embodiments, theoverall timing between t0 and t1 may decrease with decreasingtemperature, even though the time between t2 and t3 may increase due tothe operation of the delay circuit 426. Similarly, in some embodimentsthe overall timing between t0 and t1 may increase with increasingtemperature, even though the time between t2 and t3 may decrease due tothe operation of the delay circuit 426. Thus, the signal path 400 mayhave a ratio of the timing between the delay of the delay circuit 426and the timing of the other components of the circuit path 400 which isaltered by the temperature.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a wordline driver circuit operated bytiming signals in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. Thewordline driver circuit 500 may be the wordline driver 328 of FIG. 3 insome embodiments. A semiconductor device (e.g., the semiconductor device300 of FIG. 3) may include a plurality of wordline driver circuits 500each coupled to a respective wordline in each of the banks of the memorycell array. The wordline driver circuit 500 may include transistors suchas transistors MP1, MN2, and MNN2. Transistor MP1 may be a PMOS typetransistor, while transistors MN2 and MNN2 may be NMOS type transistors.The wordline driver circuit 500 may receive signals FXF, FX, and MWLF,which may be provided by, for example, the control logic drivers 434 ofFIG. 4. Each of the signals may be digital signals that alternatebetween a logical high (e.g., ‘on’, a high voltage, Vdd) and a logicallow (e.g., ‘off’, a low voltage, Vss, ground). The wordline drivercircuit 500 may be coupled to a Wordline, and may selectively activate(e.g., increase to a logical high) or deactivate (e.g., decrease to alogical low) a voltage of the wordline.

The gates of the transistors MP1 and MN2 are coupled in common to thesignal MWLF. A source of the transistor MP1 is coupled to the signal FX,and a drain of the transistor MP1 is coupled to the wordline. The drainof transistor MN2 is also coupled to the wordline, and the source oftransistor MN2 is coupled to a ground voltage. The transistor MNN2 alsohas a drain coupled to the wordline and also has a source coupled to aground voltage. The gate of transistor MNN2 is coupled to the signalFXF.

Accordingly, when the signal MWLF is at a logical high, the transistorMP1 is inactive while the transistor MN2 is active and couples thewordline to the ground voltage. When the signal MWLF is at a logicallow, the transistor MN2 is inactive, and the signal FX is coupled to thewordline. When the signal FXF is at a logical high, the transistor MNN2is active and the wordline is coupled to ground via the transistor MNN2.When the signal FXF is at a logical low, the transistor MNN2 is notactive. As described in FIG. 6, the signals may operate together inorder to reduce the stress on the transistors MN2 and MNN2 in order toreduce the effects of hot carrier degradation.

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram of command signals in a semiconductor memorydevice in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 6 showsthe operation of signals FXF, and MWLF in the wordline driver circuit500 of FIG. 5 during a wordline off operation. Although a specificpattern of signals corresponding to the circuit of FIG. 5 is shown, itis to be understood that other signals and signal patterns are possiblebased on other arrangements of the wordline driver circuit. Inparticular, while signals FXF and MWLF are shown operating together, insome embodiments they may operate independently of each other, and onlyone of the signals FXF or MWLF may change from a low level to a highlevel at time t1.

Before a first time t0, the signal FX is at a high logic level, whilethe signals FXF and MWLF are at a low logic level. Because the signalMWLF is at a low logic level, the signal FX is coupled to the wordlinevia the transistor MP1 of FIG. 5. Thus, the wordline is active (at ahigh voltage level). At the first time t0, the signal FX drops to a lowlogic level (a low voltage). At a second time t1 which is after t0, thesignals FXF and MWLF rise from a low voltage to a high voltage. This maycause the transistors MN2 and MNN2 to activate, coupling the wordline toground (and may cause transistor MP1 to deactivate, decoupling FX fromthe wordline).

Accordingly, before t0 the wordline may be at a high voltage, and aftert1 the wordline may be coupled to a low voltage (e.g., ground). Theremay be a delay between t0 and t1. The delay between t0 and t1 may be dueto a combination of a delay circuit (e.g., the delay circuit 326 of FIG.3) and a propagation delay of the circuit. The delay between t0 and t1may be dependent on temperature at least in part due to the operation ofthe delay circuit.

At time t0 the wordline voltage may drop to a low voltage due to stillbeing coupled to the signal FX through transistor MP1 (since MWLF isstill inactive). Thus, the wordline voltage may already be low by timet1 when the transistor MP1 is deactivated and the wordline is coupled toground through transistors MN2 and/or MNN2. This may relieve stress onthe transistors MN2 and MNN2 during the wordline off operation.

In some embodiments, the delay applied by the delay circuit e.g., thedelay circuit 326 of FIG. 3) may become longer when the temperature isrelatively cold, and longer when the delay is relatively hot.Accordingly, the delay may be increased in response to a firsttemperature and decreased in response to a second temperature which isgreater than the first temperature.

In some embodiments, the overall length of the delay between t0 and t1may decrease at relatively colder temperatures due to large decrease inthe propagation delay (e.g., due to decreased resistance at coldertemperatures), however the delay provided by the delay circuit mayincrease, raising the ratio of the delays from the delay circuit andpropagation delay.

In this manner, the timing between the wordline deactivation command(e.g., FX dropping to a low logic level) and the wordline beingdeactivated (e.g., coupled to ground) may be made dependent ontemperature. Since the effects of hot carrier degradation may also bedependent on temperature, the reduced stress on the transistors MN2 andMNN2 from the delay between t0 and t1 may mitigate the effects of hotcarrier degradation.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an analogue delay circuit in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure. The delay circuit 700 may beused, in some embodiments, as the delay circuit 326 of FIG. 3. The delaycircuit 700 accepts a signal along the line input and provides thesignal along the line output after a delay. The delay circuit mayinclude a first inverter circuit 740 and a second inverter circuit 742coupled in series between the input and the output. The delay circuit700 may also include an RC circuit 744, which is coupled to a pointbetween the first inverter circuit 740 and the second inverter circuit742.

Each of the inverters 740, 742 may receive a signal at a certain leveland provide the signal at the logical inverse of that level. As anexample, if the inverter circuit receives a signal at a logical highvalue (e.g., a high voltage, Vdd), it may provide an output at a logicallow value (e.g., a ground voltage, Vss). Each of the inverter circuitsmay have a threshold voltage which, when the input voltage crossestriggers the inverter circuit to provide a signal at the oppositelogical level. As an example, as a voltage rises along the input line,it may rise above a threshold voltage, at which point the first invertercircuit 740 may switch from providing a high voltage signal to providinga low voltage signal. Note that the threshold voltage for an increasingvoltage input does not necessarily equal the threshold voltage for afalling voltage input.

The RC circuit 744 be coupled between the output of the first invertercircuit 740/the input of the second inverter circuit 742 and a voltageof the system. As shown, the RC circuit 744 is coupled to a groundvoltage (e.g., Vss), however it is to be understood that the RC circuitcould be coupled to any number of voltages such as, for example thepower supply voltage Vdd. The RC circuit 744 may contribute to the delayof the delay circuit 700 by cause the output voltage of the firstinverter circuit 740 to discharge (or charge) over time.

Since the RC circuit 744 causes the voltage along the coupling betweenthe first and second inverter circuit 740, 742 to change over time,there may be a delay between when the signal along input changes to anew level and when the output of the first inverter circuit 740 reachesthe threshold voltage of the second inverter circuit 742. There may thusbe a delay between the signal arriving at the first inverter circuit 740and being provided by the second inverter circuit 742.

The threshold voltage(s) of the second inverter circuit 742, as well asthe RC circuit 744 may change based on the temperature of the delaycircuit 700. In this manner the overall delay of the delay circuit 700may depend on the temperature of the delay circuit it should be notedthat while the delay circuit 700 shows only a pair of inverters 740, 742and a single RC circuit 744, the delay circuit 700 may include multipleelements, for example multiple of the RC circuits 700 may be coupledtogether in series.

FIG. 8 is a delay circuit in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure. The delay circuit 800 may be an example implementation ofthe delay circuit 700 of FIG. 7. The delay circuit $00 may be ananalogue delay circuit which is responsive to the temperature ofcomponents of the delay circuit 800 to increase or decrease the delay.The delay circuit 800 may include a first inverter circuit 840 coupledto an input of a second inverter circuit 842. An first RC delay circuit844 may also be coupled to the input of the second inverter circuit 842in parallel with the first inverter circuit 840. The second invertercircuit 842 may be coupled in series with a third inverter circuit 846.The third inverter circuit 846 may provide an input to the fourthinverter circuit 848. An output of the fourth inverter circuit 848 maybe coupled to an input of a fifth inverter circuit 852. A second RCdelay circuit 850 may also be coupled in parallel to the input of thefifth inverter circuit 852. The fifth inverter circuit is coupled inseries with a sixth inverter circuit 854. The sixth inverter circuit 854may provide the output of the delay circuit 800.

The first inverter circuit 840 may include a transistor PM1 and atransistor NM1. The transistor PM1 may be a PMOS type transistor whilethe transistor NM1 may be an NMOS type transistor. The gates of thetransistor PM1, NM1 may be coupled in common to an input of the firstinverter circuit 840. A source of the transistor PM1 is coupled to apower supply voltage (e.g., Vdd), while a drain of the transistor PM1 iscoupled to a resistor R1. The source of transistor NM1 is coupled toground, while the drain is coupled to the other side of the resistor R1.The output of the first inverter circuit 840 is coupled between thedrain of the transistor PM1 and the resistor R1.

The output of the first inverter circuit 840 is coupled to the input ofthe second inverter circuit 842. The first RC delay circuit is alsocoupled to the input of the second inverter circuit 842 in parallel withfirst inverter circuit 840. A capacitor C0 is used to model a parasiticcapacitance of the circuit and is coupled between the input of thesecond inverter 842 and a ground voltage. The capacitor C0 is coupled inparallel between the first inverter 840 and the first RC delay circuit844.

The first RC delay circuit 844 may include resistors R2 and R3 andcapacitors C2 and C3. The resistor R2 and the capacitor C2 are coupledin series between the input of the second inverter circuit 842 and aground voltage. The resistor R3 and the capacitor C3 are coupled inseries between ground and a node between resistor R2 and capacitor C2.

The second inverter 842 and the third inverter 846 may be physicallysimilar to each other. The second inverter 842 may have a strong PMOStype transistor (e.g., the gate of the PMOS transistor may be wider thanthe PMOS transistor of the inverter 840 or 846) to allow a rapidtransition to a high logical value. The strong PMOS transistor mayprovide a fast pull-up signal transition for the second inverter 842.

The output end of the third inverter 846 is provided to the fourthinverter 848. The fourth inverter 848 may be physically identical to thefirst inverter 840, except with transistors PM2 and NM2 instead oftransistors PM1 and NM1, and resistor R4 instead of resistor R1. Unlikethe first inverter 840, in the fourth inverter 848, the output iscoupled between the resistor R4 and the transistor NM2.

Similar to the coupling between the first inverter 840 and the secondinverter 842, the fourth inverter circuit 848 and the second RC delaycircuit 850 are both coupled in parallel to the input of the fifthinverter circuit 852. A capacitor C1 is shown coupled between a powersupply voltage (e.g., Vdd) and a point between the fourth invertercircuit 848 and the second RC delay circuit 850. The capacitor C1,similar to the capacitor C0, may model a parasitic capacitance of thecircuit, rather than a component deliberately added to the circuit. Thesecond RC delay circuit 850 may be similar to the first RC delay circuit844. The second RC delay circuit 850 includes a resistor R5 andcapacitor C4 coupled in series to a power supply voltage Vdd. A resistorR6 and capacitor C5 are coupled in series between the power supplyvoltage Vdd and a point between the resistor R5 and the capacitor C4.

The fifth inverter 852 and the sixth inverter 854 may be physicallysimilar to each other. The fifth inverter 852 may have a strong NMOStype (e.g., the gate of the NMOS transistor may be wider than the NMOStransistor of the inverter 848 or 854) to allow a rapid transition to alow logical value. The strong NMOS transistor may provide a fast pulldown signal transition for the fifth inverter 852.

In some embodiments, the second, third, fifth, and sixth inverters 842,846, 852, and 854 may generally have a similar structure to the firstand fourth inverters 840 and 848, except the inverters may not include aresistive component between one of the respective transistors and theoutput node. The inverter 840 includes the resistor R1 between the PMOStransistor PM1 and the output node coupled to the inverter 842.Similarly, the inverter 848 includes the resistor R4 between the NMOStransistor NM2 and the output node coupled to the inverter 852. Theresistors R1 and R4 may act as voltage dividers that serve to addadditional transition delay to the inverters 840 and 848, respectively.Since only the first and fourth inverters 840, 848 are shown in detail,operation of the inverter circuit will only be described with regards tothose two inverter circuits. However it is to be understood that, insome embodiments, the other inverter circuits may function in a similarmanner.

The first inverter circuit 840 accepts and input voltage which may beeither a logical high power supply voltage Vdd) or a logical low (e.g.,ground). When the input is a logical low, the transistor PM1 is activewhile the transistor NM1 is inactive. Accordingly, a power supplyVoltage (e.g., Vdd) is coupled to the output of the inverter and to theresistor R1. Thus, when the input is low, the output may transitionhigh, with a slight delay because of the resistor R1. When the input ishigh, the transistor PM1 is inactive while the transistor NM1 isinactive. Accordingly, the output is coupled to ground through theresistor R1. The fourth inverter circuit 848 may work in a similarmanner, except that the when the input is low the power supply voltageis coupled to the output through resistor R4 (e.g., which may delay thetransition to a low logical value), while when the input is high theoutput is coupled to ground without an intervening resistor.

In some embodiments the capacitors C2, C3, C4, and C5 may all have anequal capacitance. In some embodiments the resistors R1, R2, R3, R4, R5,and R6 may all have an equal capacitance. In other embodiments, theresistors and capacitors may have unequal values. The values of theresistors and the capacitors may be selected based on a desired lengthof delay and/or temperature response of the delay circuit 800. Therespective resistive values of the resistors R1-R6 and the capacitivevalues of the capacitors C2-C5 may be selected to provide a particularresistive-capacitive (RC) delay to transitions received at inputs of theinverters 842 and 852, respectively.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are graphs depicting characteristics of the delay circuit800 of FIG. 8 in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. Theoperation of the delay circuit 800 may be modeled by calculating thevoltage through the circuit. As an example, the voltage Vn, which is thevoltage along the input of the second inverter 842 is calculated andplotted in graphs 900 and 1000 of FIGS. 9 and 10, respectively. Althoughnot shown here for brevity, the voltage of the input of the fourthinverter 852 may charge in a manner similar to the discharge of Vnrepresented in graphs 900 and 1000. In both graphs 900 and 1000, thex-axis represents time and is expressed in units of nanoseconds (ns)while the y-axis represents voltage and is expressed in units of volts(V). Although specific operation of a specific circuit is shown, it isto be understood that other embodiments may have different waveforms.For example, other circuits may operate at different times and/ordifferent voltages, which may be varied by, for example, changing thevalues of the resistors in the circuit 800.

FIG. 9 shows a graph 900 of the discharge of voltage Vu over time. Thedischarge may be modeled by equation 1, below:

V _(n)(t)=(Ae ^(−αt) +Be ^(−βt) +Ce ^(−γt))*Vdd   Eqn. 1

A, B, C, α, β, and γ may each be constants of the equation, while t mayrepresent time. The term Vdd may be the power supply voltage of thesystem. The graph 900 may represent a scenario where the power supplyvoltage Vdd is 1 volt. The constants A, B, C, α, β, and may bedetermined, for example, by solving a laplace transform and a thirdorder equation with resistance and capacitance values.

The graph 900 shows the voltage Vn plotted as a function of time, alongwith plots of the terms of Equation 1, Ae^(−αt), Be^(−βt), and Ce^(−γt),each plotted separately. As may be seen at 0 seconds when the circuitbegins to discharge, the voltage Vn begins at 1 volt (e.g., Vdd). Overtime, the voltage decays as the voltage Vn is discharged through thefirst RC delay circuit 844 of FIG. 7. At time t=0 ns the delay circuitmay switch from receiving a signal at a low level (e.g., at 0V) toreceiving a signal at a high level (e.g., at 1 V). This may cause thefirst inverter to output a low voltage, which in turn may allow thevoltage to begin discharging through the first RC circuit 844.

The graph 1000 shows how temperature may change the discharge response.The graph 1000 shows Vn plotted as a function of time for a circuitwhich is at a relatively high temperature and for a circuit which is ata relatively low temperature. Additionally plotted are thresholdvoltages for the circuit at the high temperature and the lowtemperature. The threshold voltages may represent a voltage level atwhich the coupled second inverter circuit 848 is triggered (e.g.,switches from providing a low voltage to providing a high voltage as anoutput in response to the failing input voltage of Vn). Because thesecond inverter circuit may also be affected by temperature, thethreshold voltages for the high temperature condition Thresh(HT) and thethreshold voltage for the low temperature condition Thresh(LT) are notequal.

As may be seen from the graph 1000, the time at which the voltage Vnfalls to the threshold voltage varies with temperature. In particular,in the high temperature condition the voltage Vn discharges to thethreshold temperature Thresh(HT) at just after 2 ns, while under the lowtemperature condition the voltage Vn discharges to the thresholdtemperature Thresh(LT) just before 3 ns. In this manner, the delaycircuit 800 may take longer to provide a response (e.g., increase thedelay) under relatively colder temperatures.

The remaining components of the delay circuit 800 of FIG. 8 may respondto the changing voltage of Vn. In particular, the input voltage of thefifth inverter circuit 848 may charge through the second RC delaycircuit 850 in a manner similar to the discharge of Vn described ingraphs 900 and 1000. Because there are an even number of invertercircuits, the overall output of the delay circuit 800 may have the samelevel as the signal input to the delay circuit 800. However, as shown ingraph 1000 the inverters may not ‘flip’ (e.g., switch the level they areproviding as an output in response to a changing input) until someamount of time has passed. The time that passes may be dependent on thetemperature of the delay circuit 800. In this manner, the delay circuit800 may delay a signal by a delay time that is inversely proportional tothe temperature of the circuit.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a digital delay circuit in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure. The delay circuit 1100 maybe used as the delay circuit 326 of FIG. 3 in some embodiments. Thedelay circuit 1100 accepts a temperature signal TempCode from a coupledtemperature sensor (e.g., the temperature sensor 327 of FIG. 3). Thetemperature signal TempCode may be expressed as a binary code which hassome number of discrete values. As shown the TempCode is a 2-bit codewith 4 possible values. The delay circuit 1100 may accept an input andprovide it as an output after a delay, which may be increased by anincremental value as the TempCode indicates a lower temperature.Although the delay circuit 1100 is shown as having certain delaytimings, and responsive to a certain number of temperature levels, itshould be understood that these may be altered. For example, while thecircuit 1100 is shown as responsive to 4 different temperatureconditions, in some embodiments it may be responsive to 2, 8, or othernumbers of temperature values.

The delay circuit 1100 includes a base delay circuit 1160, incrementaldelay circuits 1161, inverter circuits 1162, NOR gates 1164, NAND gates1166, and NAND gate 1168. The temperature code TempCode may be a 2-bitcode that consists of two values TempCode<1> and TempCode<0>. Theinverter circuits 1162 may be used to generate an inverse temperaturecode TempCodeF by taking an inverse of each of the values to generateTempCodeF<1> and TempCodeF<0> respectively. A series of NOR gates 1164are coupled to TempCode and TempCodeF. Since a 2-bit code may have 4values, 4 NOR gates 1164 are provided. In other example circuits withmore (or less) bits in the TempCode, more (or less) NOR gates 1164 maybe provided.

A first NOR gate may receive TempCode<1> and TempCode<0> as inputs, andmay provide an output ‘cold’ at a high logic, level when both inputs areat a low level (e.g., when the temperature sensor is indicating thelowest expressible temperature). A second NOR gate may receiveTempCode<1> and TempCodeF<0> as inputs and may provide an output ‘room’at a high logic level when both inputs are at a low logic level (e.g.,when TempCode<1>=0 and TempCode<0>=1). A third NOR gate may receiveTempCodeF<1> and TempCode<0> as inputs and may provide an output ‘warm’at a high logic level when both inputs are at a low logic level (e.g.,when TempCode<1>=1 and TempCode<0>=0), A fourth NOR gate may receiveTempCodeF<1> and TempCodeF<0> as inputs, and may provide an output ‘hot’at a high logic level when both inputs are at a low logic level (e.g.,when the original TempCode was at the highest expressible temperature).

An input signal is provided to base delay circuit 1160. The base delaycircuit 1160 may provide the input signal as an output after a setperiod of delay (referred to herein as a base delay). The output of thebase delay circuit 1160 may be coupled to the incremental delay circuits1161 in series. Each of the incremental delay circuits 1161 may add aset amount of delay between the time an input signal is received and thetime the incremental delay circuit 1161 provides the signal as anoutput. In the example of FIG. 10, the incremental delay circuits 1161may each add 0.1 ns of delay.

The NAND gates 1166 may be used to output a delayed signal in responseto the temperature level. Each of the NAND gates 1166 has a first inputterminal coupled to one of the signals cold, room, warm, or hot providedby the NOR gates 1164. The second terminal of the NAND gates 1166 iscoupled along the delay path of the base delay circuit 1160 andincremental delay circuits 1161. The first NAND gate 1166 accepts thesignal cold and is coupled to an output of the third incremental delaycircuit. It provides a low logic level output when both the cold signaland the output of the final incremental delay circuit 1161 is at a highlogic level. The second NANO gate 1166 receives the signal room and theoutput of the second incremental delay circuit 1161. It proves a lowlogic level output when both the room signal and the output of thesecond incremental delay circuit 1161 is at a high logic level. Thethird NAND gate 1166 receives the signal warm and the output of thefirst incremental delay circuit 1161. It proves a low logic level outputwhen both the warm signal and the output of the first incremental delaycircuit 1161 is at a high logic level. The second NAND gate 1166receives the signal room and the output of the second incremental delaycircuit 1161. It proves a low logic level output when both the roomsignal and the output of the second incremental delay circuit 1161 is ata high logic level. The fourth NAND gate 1166 receives the signal hotand the output of the base delay circuit 1160. It proves a low logiclevel output when both the hot signal and the output of the base delaycircuit 1161 is at a high logic level.

The outputs of each of the NAND gates 1166 may be provided to a NANDgate 1168 as inputs. The NAND gate 1168 may provide a low logic leveloutput when all of the inputs are at a high logic level, and provide ahigh logic level otherwise. The output of the NAND gate 1168 may be theoutput of the delay circuit 1100.

For purposes of describing operation of the delay circuit 1100 anexample scenario will be considered where the TempCode is indicatingthat it is ‘warm’ (e.g., the TempCode is 1, 0) and where a signal isreceived along the input. Because the temp code indicates that it iswarm, the signal ‘warm’ will be at a high logic level. The receivedsignal will be delayed by the base delay circuit 1160, and then delayedagain by the first incremental delay circuit 1161. This will cause bothinputs of the third NAND gate 1166 to become positive, which will causethe third NAND gate 1166 to provide a low logic level signal to one ofthe inputs of the NAND gate 1168. This causes the NAND gate 1168 toshift to providing a high output signal (since not every input of theNAND gate 1168 is at a low logic level). Thus, when the TempCodeindicates a ‘warm’ temperature, the signal along input is delayed by thedelay amount of the base delay circuit 1160 plus the delay amount of oneincremental delay circuit 1161. In a similar manner, the delay circuit1100 may function such that at each of the four expressible values ofTempCode, the signal is delayed by the base delay plus 0, 1, or 2 timesthe incremental delay, with colder temperatures triggering longerdelays.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart depicting a method of a method of delayingcommand signals in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. Themethod 1200 may include block 1210, which describes receiving a commandsignal at a memory device at a first time. The command signal may beprovided by an external component of the memory device, such as a memorycontroller. The command signal ma be generated by an internal componentof the memory device and provided to one or more other components of thememory device. The command signal may indicate a wordline deactivation,and may, in some examples, be a precharge signal.

The method continues with block 1220, which describes deactivation awordline of the memory device in response to the command signal at asecond time. There may be a delay between the first time and the secondtime. The delay may be caused, at least in part, by the combination ofinherent system delays (e.g., propagation delays) and a configurabledelay. The configurable delay may be provided by a delay circuit, whichmay be inserted along a signal path of the command signal.

The method continues with block 1230, which describes adjusting theconfigurable delay based on a temperature of the memory device. In someembodiments, the temperature may be determined by a temperature sensorpositioned about the memory device. In some embodiments the delaycircuit may be responsive to the temperature of the delay circuit. Asdescribed in block 1232, the configurable delay may adjusted byincreasing the configurable delay in response to a decrease in thetemperature or, as described in block 1234 by decreasing theconfigurable delay in response to an increase in the temperature.

Although this invention has been disclosed in the context of certainpreferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the inventions extend beyond the specificallydisclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses ofthe inventions and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Inaddition, other modifications which are within the scope of thisinvention will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based onthis disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combination orsub-combination of the specific features and aspects of the embodimentsmay be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. It shouldbe understood that various features and aspects of the disclosedembodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in orderto form varying mode of the disclosed invention. Thus, it is intendedthat the scope of at least some of the present invention hereindisclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodimentsdescribed above.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a first invertercircuit; a second inverter circuit coupled to an output voltage of thefirst inverter circuit; and an RC circuit coupled between the firstinverter circuit and the second inverter circuit, wherein the RC circuitis configured to delay transition of an output of the first invertercircuit a delay time in response to an input signal transition, whereinthe delay time is inversely proportional to a temperature.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a third inverter circuit,coupled to an output of the second inverter circuit; a fourth invertercircuit coupled to an output of the third inverter circuit; a second RCcircuit coupled to an output of the fourth inverter circuit; a fifthinverter circuit coupled to the output of the fourth inverter circuit;and a sixth inverter circuit coupled to an output of the fifth invertercircuit.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first inverter circuitreceives a signal at a first time, and the sixth inverter circuitprovides the signal at a second time, wherein the time between the firsttime and the second time is inversely proportional to the temperature.4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second inverter circuitcomprises a strong PMOS transistor and wherein the fifth invertercircuit comprises a strong NMOS transistor.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the second inverter circuit has a threshold voltage that ishigher at a first temperature than it is at a second temperature that islower than the first temperature.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe second inverter is configured to provide a second output voltage ata high level when the output voltage falls below a threshold voltage,wherein the threshold voltage increases with increased temperature. 7.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a control logic circuitconfigured to provide a pre-charge signal to an input of the firstinverter circuit; and a memory array comprising a plurality of wordlines each associated with a respective word line driver circuit,wherein at least one of the respective word line driver circuitsreceives the pre-charge signal from an output of the second invertercircuit.
 8. An apparatus comprising: an input signal line; an outputsignal line; a first inverter circuit configured to provide a firstvoltage at a low level when a voltage on the input signal line risesabove a first threshold; a first RC circuit configured to discharge thefirst voltage over time; and a second inverter circuit configured toprovide a second voltage at a high level when the first voltage fallsbelow a second threshold, wherein a voltage on the output signal line isbased on the second voltage, and wherein the second threshold increaseswith increasing temperature.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein theinput signal line is configured to receive a pre-charge signal, andwherein the output signal line is configured to provide the pre-chargesignal after a delay time.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, furthercomprising a word line and an associated word line driver, whereinresponsive to the pre-charge signal the word line driver is configuredto change a voltage of the word line.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8,further comprising a second RC circuit configured to charge the secondvoltage over time.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising: athird inverter and fourth inverter coupled in series between the firstvoltage and an input of the second inverter; and a fifth inverter andsixth inverter coupled in series between the second voltage and theoutput signal line.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the thirdinverter includes a strong PMOS type transistor, and wherein the fifthinverter includes a strong NMOS type transistor.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 8, wherein the first inverter circuit includes a first resistorconfigured to act as a voltage divider, and wherein the second invertercircuit includes a second resistor configured to act as a voltagedivider.
 15. A method comprising: receiving a pre-charge signal at ahigh level; changing a first voltage to a low level with a firstinverter circuit responsive to receiving the pre-charge signal at thehigh level; discharging the first voltage over time with an RC circuit;changing a second voltage to a high level with a second inverter circuitresponsive to the first voltage falling below a threshold, wherein thethreshold is dependent on temperatures; and providing a delayedpre-charge signal based on the second voltage.
 16. The method of claim15, wherein the threshold increases with increasing temperature.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising changing a voltage of a word lineresponsive to the delayed pre-charge signal.
 18. The method of claim 15,further comprising charging the second voltage with a second RC circuit.19. The method of claim 15, further comprising: driving the firstvoltage with a third inverter and a fourth inverter, the third inverterhaving a strong PMOS type transistor; and driving the second voltagewith a fifth inverter and a sixth inverter, the fifth inverter includinga strong NMOS type transistor.
 20. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising providing the delayed pre-charge a signal a delay time afterreceiving the pre-charge signal, wherein the delay time is longer andlower temperatures.